Ten persons were detained upon arriving at the crime scene, according to NAFDAC, and will face charges in court following a comprehensive investigation.
Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, stated during a question-and-answer session with media that the organization has caught counterfeiters manufacturing a range of beverages in the market, including wines, soft drinks, and consumables.
She clarified that NAFDAC, along with other security agencies, conducted several weeks of information gathering and data compilation on the operations in response to a clever tip-off.
The head of NAFDAC stated that in order to disrupt any illegal activity occurring at the market, the agency conducted a sting operation there.
The manufacture of various adulterated products, particularly wine, from a wide variety of brands, including Seaman Schnapps, Henessy, Four Cousins, Carlo Rossi, Jenney, Chelsea London Dry Gin, Schnapp Dry Gin, McDowells, Black Labels, Gordons, Martell, Campari, Smirnoff Ice, Eva Non-Alcoholic Drink, Evra Non-Alcoholic Drink, Cartel, and others, are among the nefarious activities of the counterfeiters, according to Adeyeye, who claimed that they have been going on for a long time and that they operate like a cartel, threatening anyone who dares to challenge them.
Additionally, there is date revalidation for expired goods such as Peak milk, powdered milk, ketchups, yoghurt, and Coca-Cola products. These goods are packaged with phony or inferior goods and then marketed to the general population, who are gullible enough to consume them.
She mentioned that as a result of the massive operation, the agency searched over 240 stores that were actually factories where the dangerous goods were made and sold.
The stores that were converted into factories, according to her, were extremely dirty and used saccharin, coloring, hazardous chemicals, recycled bottles that were dirty, and copycat packaging materials from other brands.
"Criminal elements in the country adulterate alcoholic beverages by combining less expensive sources of starch and sugar with other harmful chemicals that are not fit for human consumption, such as grapes or fruit." During the operation, more than 1500 cartons containing counterfeit and inferior goods were destroyed, and 300 hundred cartons were evacuated to the NAFDAC facility.
Adeyeye issued a warning that consuming alcohol that has been tampered with might result in low body temperature, fainting, nausea and vomiting, stomach discomfort, sleepiness, disorientation, pale or blue skin, irregular or sluggish breathing, unconsciousness, or passing out. It can also cause kidney and liver failure, as well as death.
She said, "Methanol, a chemical that can be added to phony vodka, may result in blindness that lasts a lifetime. According to the World Health Organization's Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health, alcohol poisoning is thought to have killed over three million people worldwide.
Moreover, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) found that drinking alcohol is linked to one in ten cancer cases in Nigeria and that drinking alcohol that has been tampered with accounts for 4.7% of all cancer cases in Nigeria in 2019.
The head of NAFDAC pleaded with Nigerians to be watchful and to always carefully inspect branded drinks to separate them from knockoffs before ingesting them. NAFDAC would like to advise the general people to focus during this holiday season and consider the "4 Ps" before purchasing alcohol: Location: Purchase only NAFDAC-registered alcoholic beverages from respectable, licenced stores, pubs, and supermarkets.
"Price: The product is most likely phony if it is being sold for significantly less than it normally would be or if it doesn't appear to include the standard liquor taxes.
"Packaging: Look for shoddy packing, misspelled words, and oddly shaped bottles. Look for the manufacturer's address and phone number.
It means the booze is phony if it's gone. Examine the bottle's seal. It's possible that the contents have been tampered with and are unsafe to drink if the seal is broken or destroyed. Look out for phony bar codes. Use a barcode scanning program on your phone to check if the product is listed as the right one.
"Product: Watch out for foul odors! It most likely is if it smells like paint stripper or nail polish remover.
According to Adeyeye, NAFDAC would keep working to ensure that the amount of fake goods in the country is as low as possible so that people can continue to eat only safe and wholesome goods.
Adeyeye pointed out that in order to conduct full regulatory activity, NAFDAC had to close the market completely until all parties involved could come to an agreement and sign a pledge promising that the market would never be utilized for such nefarious activities.